High school survey indicates heavy alcohol abuse

The National Drug Abuse Control Council, NDACC, has released the results of the latest survey of Belizean high school students… and the news is not good. A sample of second and fourth year students revealed that a startling twenty-five percent of those surveyed, or one in four of the students, reported consuming more than six drinks a day. Twenty percent, or one out of every five, admitted to being a recurrent smoker. Three fourths of the students surveyed admitted to having tasted alcohol within the last year, and one fifth admitted to having tried marijuana. Next in order of popularity were tranquilizers followed by cocaine. The average age of first use was twelve. The survey results are part of an assessment of the drug situation among Belizean adolescents and will be used for youth-oriented drug programmes at the school, community, and national level. The instrument used in the study was developed by the O.A.S. through the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission. Belize was chosen to pilot the survey.